Page 53

ELIAS

We’d managed to take down something that closely resembled a deer, eating our full. As a wolf, it tasted delicious.

Now that I was shifted back, I felt a little nauseous.

We washed up and drank at a stream, the water fresh and cool, while Kian kept watch up high on a nearby branch.

The vamp was growing on me. He was younger than us, but his powers were impressive, and I was a little jealous of how quickly he’d been able to acquire them with Marlowe’s second-hand blood.

I called up to him from the ground. “What do your vampyr eyes see?”

He jumped down, light on his feet. “Just a whole lot of shifter dick.”

“Well, quit staring, then,”

I grinned.

At first, it had also been awkward for me to just be naked with my pack like this, but now I barely registered it. Not that I necessarily wanted to go start a shifter nudist colony or anything, but it felt surprisingly natural.

And I could definitely get used to Marlowe hanging out in the nude.

As though she could read my thoughts, her love came shooting through the bond, and collectively we breathed deeply, sending it right back. I wanted to talk to her so badly, but with the King close and with his ability to speak through her, we needed to keep explicit communication to a minimum.

Julian trotted up and shifted back. “I smell smoke and people about two miles that way,”

he pointed. “I don’t think they’re vamps, but we could check them out at least.”

Cam grunted. “Okay, drink up and then let’s head out.”

I almost winced at the order. It wasn’t a bark, but it strangely carried the weight of one. For all his blustering, he’d never actually used his position as pack leader to command us to do anything. Was the pressure of getting Marlowe back helping him ease into that role? Or was it something else?

I looked briefly at Archer and Nolan, seeing a similar confusion in their eyes, before shifting and following Cam’s lead.

Kian hid us with his shadows as we spied on the small village. There were fae of all sorts, with different tones of skin color, and strange combinations of animal parts mixed with more human anatomy. They wore simple clothes and went about their daily routines while laughing and talking with their neighbors.

The shadows around us deepened as a child’s toy came perilously close to where we were hiding, but luckily the boy didn’t even look in our direction as he came to grab it and go back to his friends.

Well, we’d found people not imprisoned, but I wasn’t exactly sure what our next move would be. If other vampyrs were nearby, they probably weren’t living in the village since they were “persona non grata.”

“Should we shift and split up?”

I whispered to Cam. “Try to sniff out the vamps?”

“Shh, let’s just watch for a bit,”

he replied.

I sighed and got myself comfortable. I didn’t know how good their sense of smell was, but at least we were upwind.

They, on the other hand, smelled strange. A mix of herbs and spices I’d never come across before. Or was that coming from their kitchens?

My mouth watered and my stomach rumbled uncomfortably, the animal we’d eaten as wolves now digested. It would be so nice to have a dinner that wasn’t raw.

A few hours of observing didn’t really teach us much. I had seen some of the fruits and vegetables they ate and grew though, and that would at least be helpful for foraging.

Or stealing.

The sun began to set, and I was starting to get impatient. We’d wasted half of a day watching these people, and for what? We’d come here to save Marlowe. How exactly was this going to help us?

I opened my mouth to let Cam know this was pointless when Kian tensed. “Look…”

If he hadn’t pointed it out, I wouldn’t have even noticed. Another shadow flitted between trees, bushes, and buildings, finally stopping to rest along the wall behind a home. The darkness cleared and a black-haired teenager appeared out of the cloud. He looked around nervously, and then tapped on the window.

A girl around the same age opened it and then smiled when she saw who was outside. “Paxe! What are you doing back here?”

He reached up and helped her out. “I couldn’t wait any longer, I had to see you again.”

With her feet on the ground, he backed her up against the building, kissing down her neck while she giggled.

Ah, young…

He clamped down, his fangs piercing her skin.

Love.

She moaned, and soon things took a turn for the X-rated.

We all turned away. “Should we give them some privacy?”

Nolan asked.

Kian seemed the most embarrassed. “I want to say yes, but we need to follow him as soon as he leaves.”

We looked everywhere but at the young couple enjoying their little tryst. Thank the moon for the excitement of youth, however, because it didn’t take very long.

“When will you take me with you?”

the girl asked, retying the laces to her top.

The boy kissed her. “Soon. Once I turn nineteen I can start my servaglio.”

“And I’ll be your Lunessa?”

He helped her back through her window, leaning in for one more kiss. “Yes, Vermilia, moon of my heart.”

She watched him longingly as he disappeared into a cloud of shadow, heading back through the woods.

“Let’s move.”